SubscribeThe Truth About Infomercials
All those endorsements and testimonies are true aren't they? Maybe some of them are, but - as NBC Dateline found out - a healthy dose of skepticism is required when watching an infomercial.
NBC 'created' a new pill that would miraculously smooth wrinkles and moisten skin. The ingredient in the pill was actually nothing but Nestle Quik.
Here's what they did (see the full article here and video here):
- Created a fancy name - "Moisturol"
- Created a fictional company - Johnson Products.
- After a search, NBC were able to find a producer that would make an infomercial. The producer was willing to make an infomercial for a product with a success rate of as little as 1 in 4.
- AS for scientific proof, the producer suggested "You’re gonna want somebody in a white coat saying it works and it’s safe."
- Despite absolutely no scientific evidence that the product worked (remember this is Nestle Quik!) the producers managed to find a doctor (board-certified dermatologist) to endorse the product (for $5000).
- The infomercial was made, and was complete with testimonials and a host who gushed about the product (despite never actually trying the product). The women who made the glowing testimonials were paid as little as $50 - but did so because they wanted to be on camera.
The infomercial could have gone to air, except at this point NBC would have been pushing the envelope a little too far. After all, the pill was nothing but chocolate drink powder.
Apparently 700 new infomercials go to air each year. A number of these will be filled with paid actresses and fake endorsers.
I think most Americans, they think, "If it’s on TV there must be somebody making sure that this is okay. It’s met some standard." - Mark Pryor, Senate Subcommittee for Consumer Affairs(via Starling Fitness).
More like this in Media Watch
LMAO....NESTLE QUIK???? Wow, I knew infomercials were a bit over the top, but I had no idea how easy it was to get someone to make one for your product. Some of those products probably really do actually work, but some of them I do wonder about. Especially some of that exercise equipment...can you really get a six-pack in "as little as 8 minutes a day"?
ReplyThey don't add the disclaimer: *if when you use this product, your body fat is 8%, haha.
ReplyI still have it on my Tivo. It was a good program.
ReplyOh my god... that is hilarious!
ReplyIt was funny how some of the people that participatedin the infomercial actually thought it helped them.
ReplyI always felt those coffee creamers would make a good facial!
Reply"You’re gonna want somebody in a white coat saying it works and it’s safe."
That would be so funny if it weren't true! There is a woman on NZ telly quite often, a nutritionist apparently, she doesn't wear a white coat, but she tells people that certain brands of whatever are good because they are low in fat, blah, blah, no mention of the ton of sugar in them. I was especially taken aback last night when she suggested that a certain brand of potato chip is good for childrens school lunches because it comes in individual servings to control portions(great, crap food with added environmental damage). I wonder how she sleeps at night(apart from being able to afford a very comfortable bed) spouting such garbage, and how other nutritionists view her.
ReplyI bet it tastes better than most wrinkle cream pills.
ReplyThere are a lot of fake products.
I heard melted Hershey's chocolate bars make a good mud pack, too! Frankly, I'd rather eat this stuff. Mmmmm chocolate!! What a bunch of greedy mongers thinking they can pawn off their deceit on ignorant wrinkly people. It's a good thing they don't have infomercials like that for overweight folks.
I think Dateline should take this one step further and show us those clinics where all this is "clinically tested". Heh.
ReplyThat's hilarious!!! But not especially surprising - think about all those infomercials that are so incredibly successful.
Thanks for the info
Reply